Daily Archives: February 8, 2013

Believe it or not, Soul Daviders, this is actually the first time in a busy schedule that I’ve had time to reflect, debrief, relax, and post something since my last blog. Yep, it’s been that kind of busy – and it took a snow storm to get me my down time!

So, since a few folks have wanted my opinion on David’s new single, “Don’t Run Away,” here’s the basic truth: I love it! 🙂 Yes, it reminds me of “Crush” just a tad, and I even think it could have been the kind of song that would have worked as a follow-up to “Crush” in his debut album years. It’s got gravity and an emotional intelligence that David’s vocals capture eloquently.

The only thing is: back then in his debut album years, David was sooooo young – in appearance, in outlook, in image – and this song clearly needs a man and not a boy to sell its pathos. It’s the kind of song, if David is looking to get into mainstream pop, that could certainly land him comfortably in the current music scene, and with pop rock making a comeback with songs like “We Are Young” and “Hey Ho,” this song has enough of a rock edge with a soft center that really shows off David’s vocals.

But David is away, no time to go out on a PR tour to promote the song, and NO!, I do not want a rushed job on some uninspiring and unimaginative music video. Sorry, but as someone who was weaned on the early years of MTV’s music videos in the ’80s and ’90s, I believe the music video needs to come from an inspired place and not some generic mashup.

Which brings me to my main question: Can a song sell itself?

If “Don’t Run Away” were just put out to radio, and they actually played it, could it take off on its own? Either the song is catchy on its own (think “Call Me Maybe”) or it’s not. And either the vocalist convinces on a song – no matter what it sounds like (think Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You”) – or s/he doesn’t.

I guess I just want this new song to have some life on its own, to really exist in the public sphere, for enough people to hear it and LIKE IT, than to just fizzle into obscurity.

So, that’s the main struggle: if we as David’s fans think “Don’t Run Away” could be a hit, how do we make it one?

…As his voice rang through the room, accompanied by only a keyboardist–and, at one point, a cappella – dozens of faces lit up with wonder. A singer was giving away music, and a news organization was hosting a concert… The Forbes building has been quite an eventful place of late. Had you walked into the lobby yesterday afternoon, for instance, you might have […]